Machine for stripping tobacco leaves



Sept. 16, 1930. F. w. WEHMANN MACHINE FOR STRIPPING TOBACCO LEAVES Filed Sept. 13, 1926 4 :Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 16, 1930. w, WEHMANN ET AL 1,776,056

MACHINE FOR STRIPPING TOBACCO LEAVES Filed Sept. 13, 1926 {Sheets-Shoat 2 677062.?? Qng flaA/s'ram mv m an Sept. 16, 1930. F. w. WEHMANN ET AL 1,776,056

MACHINE FOR STRIPPING TOBACCO LEAVES Filed Sept. 13, 1926 4 Sheets-$heet 3 an [LP/R D b/affair) mven/v/f Sept. 16,- 1930.

F. w. WEHMANN El AL MACHINE FOR STRIPPING TOBACCO LEAVES 4 Shouts-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 13, 1925 EB'SEEGBlM-QIO WWI 95mm iv. mvenhry Patented Sept. 16, 1930 UNHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRIEDRICH WILI-IELM WEHMANN AND ERNST RUBEN DAHLSTRM, F STOCKHOLM,-

SWEDEN, ASSIGNORS T0 AKTIEBOLAGET FORMATOR, OF STOGKHOLM, SWEDEN, .A.

CORPORATION MACHINE FOR STRIPIPING TOBACCO LEAVES Application filed September 13, 1926, Serial No. 135,237, and in Sweden March 11, 1926.

The present invention refers to tobacco stripping machines of the type having a gripper or the like adapted to seize the stem preferably at some distance from the point of '5 the leaf, and further having a device for gripping the leaf, the arrangement being such, that the stem is pulled or turned out from the leaf practically in the same manner as when stripping by hand.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby a more effective and good stripping is obtained than by machines of said type hitherto known.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows the entire machine as viewed from the side. Fig. 2 shows the machine as viewed from above. Fig. 3 shows a leaf which has been entirely stripped by cutting off the stem, and Fig. 4 shows the same leaf in a half-stripped condition upon tearing. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate certain parts of the machine as viewed from the side and partly in section. Fig. 7 discloses the pincers and adjacent parts in a front view and partly in section, the machine being in its starting position, in which the pincers are open. Fig. 8 shows a tobacco leaf threaded over the pincers, the shanks of which have penetrated through the leaf so as to be situated each on one side of the stem. Fig. 9 shows the pincers and adjacent parts in a front view, the pincers being closed and the other parts assuming corresponding positions. Fig. 10 shows the tobacco leaf after the pincers have been closed and after a knife connected to the one shank of the pincers has cut off the stem.

1 and 2 designates two shanks, one of which 1 is rigidly connected with the holder 3 of the pincers, while the other 2 is swingable about a shaft 4 attached to the holder 3. The pincers will open (Figs. 7-8) when the arm 5, which is rigidly connected with the shank 2, is brought into engagement with the catch 6 on return of the pincers into the starting position, said catch 6 extending from the one arm of a lever pivotally attached to the rigid support 7, the other arm 8 of the said lever being pivotally connected with the pulling rod 9. The pincers will close (Figs. 9 and 10) when the catch 6 is moved from the arm 5 through the actuation of a treadle 60, Fig. 1, which is connected with the pulling rod 9, the closing force being then produced by a spring 10.

The tobacco leaf 11 is moved down over the pincers, when the latter occupy the position shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 7, that is to say when they project through a recess in the table 13 and the shanks of the pincers are separated. The machine is then at rest. Immediately after the leaf has been positioned the same then resting on the table and extending with its fore-part over a part of the endless belt line 16, which according to the shown embodiment consists of four belts arranged in flush and parallel with each other, the machine is started by actuation of the treadle 60, whereby the main shaft 17 and the parts mounted thereon are caused to r'o tate by a coupling in known manner, while the knife 14: attached to the shank l is caused to cut off the stem 15 at a point situated at a suitable distance from the point of the leaf. The belts 16 extending about a drum 18 attached to the shaft 17 for which belts there is provided a pulley 19 near the pincers, will then move in the direction of the arrow 20 (Fig. 1) from the pincers toward the drum 18. In addition to the belt line formed by the belts 16, there is another endless belt line 21 which is extended about the rolls 22 and 23 and the lower part of which serves as a carrying member for the tobacco leaf. The roll 22 is j ournalled in two arms 24 fast on the shaft 25 of the other roll 23. Moreover, there is attached to the latter shaft an arm 26 cooperatin with a cam disk 27 secured to the shaft 1 so that the roll and the belt line 21 will be alternately moved up and down. The belt line 21 receives its motion about the pulleys provided therefor by the roll 23 (and, in a lowered position, also the belt line 21) bearing on the belt line 16 and the break roll 28, which is adjustably mounted so that it may be tightened up against the roll 23, more or less, as desired.

The pincers are kept vertically while being in the upper position (Fig. 5). This is effected by the following means.

' I the roll; 19. At this moment, the pincers be- The holder 3 of the pincers forms, together with the shaft 29 and the arms 30, 31,a rigid system pivoted on the pins 32 which are mounted in the arm pivotally attached to the frame, sothat the center of rotation of the system coincides or; approximately coin;

, cides with thatpoint 63 :of the pincers at" which the'leaf has been threaded overlthe same, whereby, on the pincers I being turned v or rotated about the pins '32, a pullingaction zonxt'hesstem will notinterfere with the lea- The pincers occupy the verticalposition illustrated in Fig. 5 by a-roll 59' attached to the shaft29 bearing against the lever 34 under theinfluence oiia spring 36 insertedbetween the link and the-one arm 33;. When by the actuation of the treadle'60fandthepul1- fing" rod1 9 the lever ,3tis moved laterally so that the pincers are caused to close,' as will appea'rffrom Fig. 9, the roll- 59' also is disem gagedfrom the lever 34:,the1pincers being then turned by thespring 36 into the position shown in Fig. 6. Then those: p arts of the shanks 1 and 2 of the pincers' thatpreviously projected above thetable 13' will besituated fenti'relyjbeneath' the plane of the table, so that the tobacco leaf. maybe pullediforth over the tablewithoutimpediment.1 The pincers alsowillbe inclined withirespect to vtheqleaf during the stripping operation I in such? a "inannerthat the stem is not bent-so sharply atitsf point of. attachment as to cause any risk-.Jfor, breakage ats'aidp'oin't (se Fig.i1).j V Theftobaccoleat ll fis'stillat rest, but the roll 22a now moved down from theijraised 1 position into the position shown withchaindotted lines in Fig. 6, in which position the iroll 'bears against the belt16, the tore'part v (poi-ntiof the tobacco leaf beingthe'nfcaught by the'belt lines 21 and .16, so that thel'eaf caused to move toward the drum; Y18 and the stripping operation, commences. The pincfer'sare still at rest in the position shown in Fig. 6, until the point of the leaf at which the stemfbegins to leave the same has reached gin to move downwardsina. circularpath about the pivot of. thejarms 33 ,and this "movement is soadapted in relation/to the feeding of the leaf into the machinefthat the fl' nt at whichjthestein leaves theleafclur-i ing the strippingisfalways at restagainst' the? roll 19.; The inclination at which the pincers are set, to theiarms 99 in Q Fig.;6 is

retained until thepincers have beenmoved down into their "lowermost position "by the arms 33 andthe stemhas been entirely detached from thefleaf." When the 'pincers i turn; about the pivots 32 in thema'nner'above 1 described, the roll' 59 is brou'ght tothe outside, i.1e. to the left of the arm 34L.(Fig..6).

When the roll, 59 again.movesf 'upwards,to-

. gether withthe pincer-s,.it is to assume a position on the inside, i. e." to lthefright of the arm'34. Therefore, the lower portion of the arm 34 is rotatable and actuated "by a. spring 62 insuch a manner that the portion j 35 forms a'switch-tongue on'the upward movement oi -the roll 59, said switch tongue guiding the roll upwards on the inside of the 9 arm .34 while turning away under the action connected with "the frame" the: studs 65,

Fig.2. i Thegends of the arms 64: adjacent of the roll 59 when the latter moves downf. V

wards on the outside of the arm 3% inthe'; manner: hereinbefore described. I v f a Combined with thegfstrippingineans is a 1 means adapted to remove fromfthe detached a stem such wing portions oftheleaf that may I have beenientrained with the stem. The lat- V o ter means comprises two arms tit pivotally so r thei- 'pinc ers are provided with"; opposed Y separated and provide a I space-for the the fpincers' f are turned I into the position "being then also/introduced Y b'etwe'en the "brushes .66, scrapersor the'like, Figs. 7 and 9, 1 V and with two outwardly'bent guides 67. When, the pincers in moving upwards reach the brushes, lwhich.under'the action of the spring GS bear against one another, the arms 69providedon the shaft 29 will penetrate between the guides 67 so that theqbrushes are I .90 incers, when by actuation of the treadle.

38. extending from the axis-of rotation'& of

thepivotal shank of the pincers is moved against a rigid'b'ar 39, with the efiect,that the pincersfare'caus'ed to open so, as to'rel ease i 7 1 11 0"f When the pincers move upwards, theroll I Y the stem.

59 isibrought into contact with thelower side of the arm 35Qand will follow the latter and the a'rm 3i, so thatthe pincers are moved into the starting position represented in Figs. 5. 7'. i The movement up and down of the 1' pincersis brought about by the arms 33 being 7 V 7 connected, through alink 41', with an arm 12 provided witha @1143 which 7 bears: against I acam disk 44 secured on themain shafti lA er 70 is attached to the'arm 71 and receives its motion through the link 72 and the arm 73, the roll 7410f which bears against the cam disk 75 onithel main shaft. When the 1 pincers are openin theirlower position, the

brush 70 or its equivalent is :caused to pene trate between theshanks ofthe pincersso 'as to brush .oif all rests of theleafifrom brush device for thecleaning of the pincer-s I [is represented in Fig. 1; f Thebr'ushor scrapbe cut off.

situated with its front portion approximately at'40'when the machine has completed a revolution and is automatically stopped.

Prior to the stopping of the machine the roll 22 and the belt 21 have been automatically raised under the influence of the cam disk 27 into-the position indicated with chaindotted lines in Fig. 1.

When the treadle is actuated anew, that is to say, when the machine is again started and the next cycle of operations is begun, the pincers are first closed so that the stem of another tobacco leaf placed in position will The tobacco leaf 11 then continues to move with its point downwards along the left side of the drum 18 (Fig. 1),

and is brought into contact with the new leaf approximately at 45, said new leaf being now stripped. The new leaf is then brought direct on top of the first leaf, in such a position relatively to the latter, that the points at which the stripping commences are caused to coincide. In this way the leaves are brought into the machine, one after the other, and are caused to lie upon one another similarly to the leaves of a book, between the belt line 16 and the drum, as is shown at 46 in Fig. 1.

In order to prevent the stripped leaves from turning and following the belt line 21 back about the roll 23, instead of passing down under the drum 18, there is provided a brush or scraper 80 adjacent to the said roll 23, the said brush being rotatable in a counterclockwise direction according to Fig. 1.

The belt line 16 run, if allowed from the upper side of the break roll 19 in the direction of the arrow 20 1), first between the rolls 23, 28, then about the circumference of the drum 18, and finally, at the point 47, run underneath the roll 48 bearing against the front side (the left side, Fig. 1) of the drum, from which roll 48 the belts further run in an upward direction and over the rolls 49 and 50 above the drum, further downwards on the right hand side (Fig. 1) of the tension roll 51, and finally under the roll 52 situated beneath the drum, and back to the roll 19, around the left hand side of which (Fig. 1) they are extended. The rolls 19, 23, 28, 49, 50 are mounted on shafts, the two ends of which are each attached to one of the two lateral frame members 53 of the machine. The roll 48, on the other hand, is mounted on the free outer ends of two arms 54 extending from bosses rotatable about the shaft of the roll 49, said arms 54 being thus adapted to be swung in a vertical direction together with the roll 48. The

' shaft of the tension roll 51, which latter serves to keep the belt under tension to such an extent that space is provided between the belt and the drum for a suitable number of leaves, is attached to two arms 55 rigidly connected with a shaft 56 which is rotatably journalled in the frame members 53. An arm 57, which is under the influence of a spring 58 secured to the frame by means of a pin 61, is also fast on the said shaft 56.

)Vhen a suitable number of leaves have been collected (booked) between the belts 16 and the drum, they are brought forth in such a manner that the levers 54 are raised by hand, together with the roll 48, from their lower position to the position indicated with chaindotted lines (Fig. 1), so that the bunch of leaves may be caught with the hand when moving past the opening provided through said raising of the levers 54.

This method for collecting (booking) and for removing the leaves out of the machine respectively is known per se, as is also the arrangement of one or more tension rolls for the belts 16.

The belt line 16 can, of course, instead of four belts, consist of a greater or lesser number (only one, if desired) of belts, for instance, two belts acting each on one side of the stem of the leaves.

The invention may of course be carried into effect in many ways other than those illus trated and described, Without the principle of the invention being departed from. For instance, the leaf may be positioned on the table while the pincers are in their lower position, so that the pincers (when turned up) pene trate through the leaf from below, while in an open position with the shanks on both sides of the stem.

.Vhat we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America is 1. In a device for stripping the stem from a tobacco leaf, the combination of a gripper adapted to seize the stem at some distance from the tip end of the leaf, a second means for gripping the leaf and moving it through the machine, said means consisting of two belts arranged to grip the leaf therebetween. front pulleys for said belts, said first named gripper in its leaf engaging position being located at a small distance in front of said pulleys, a member on which the gripper is mounted and adapted to move in such a way in relation to the feeding movement of the said belts that the stemming will occur at the front side of one of the pulleys.

2. In a device for stripping the stem from a tobacco leaf. the combination of a gripper adapted to seize the stem at some distance from the tip end of the leaf, two belts for feeding the leaf into the machine, front pulleys for said belts, said gripper in its leaf engaging position being located at a small distance in front of said pulleys, said pulleys being movabl'e to and from eachother and adapted when brought towards each other to cause the said belts to'grip therebetween pulleys for saidbelts,saidgrippeif in its leaf 7 engaging pos tion being located" at aismall .7 distance in front o'fsaidrpulleys, saidpulleys.

beingniovablelto and froin each other and adapted when brought towards each other to cause the said belts to'gripbetweenthemselvesthe tip end of theleaf, and toi-movethe leaf in the feeding movementof the belts, the

saidbelts being arranged one above the other, .tures. V the lower one of them belng stationary and being adapted to serve as a support for the tip of. the leaf, and the upper one of said beltsbeingiswingable to and from the lower 4K. in a devicefor stripping the stem from a. tobacco leaf, the combination of a. gripper "adapted to seize the-stem at some distance fromthe tipend 10f the leaf, means for grlpf;

ping the leaf and feeding it into the machine,

said means consisting of two belts whichfare 7 arranged to? grip the leaf therebetween, front pulleysfor said belts,said gripper in its leaf 1 engaging positionbeing located at a" small distance in front of'said pulleys, the gripper being mountedon a member, which is adapted to move in such a wayin relation to the feedthe cleaning device is brought in itsloperavice for gripping'theleafand moving it: p 7 .the -machine, a gripper adapted to seizej the 1 stem of the leaf, means wherebythesaidde vice and said gripper are'moved in relation to each oth'ertocause the stem to be pulled from I theleaf, and a-stem cleaning device adapted t to engage the stem and remove the remaining 1 tobacco from thestem immediatelyafterthe stripping operation, and which in itsfopen 1 v V 1. e, mentot the gripper, means for holdingsaid' V ative position is located in the path of movecleai'iingidevicein,an inoperative position to permit thegrippertopass it and to perform its str pping movement,and means whereby tive position so as to remove the remaining tobacco from the stem,

'. In testimony wliereof We affix our signa- FRIEDRICH winnEL -wEHMaNn' I arran er RUBEN panner-non. f

ing movement of the said belts that the'stemf niingwill occur at the. front side'of one, of

the pulleys, the said belts being arranged one above the other,xi;he lower oneof them being stationary and being adaptedfto' serve as a support for the tip of the leaf, when this latter is placed inthe machine, and the upper i one of said beltsbeingswingable to and from the lower one. g -V v 5. In a ClQViCBfOI'StIlPplIlg the stem from a tobacco leaf, the combination of a gripper adapted to seize the stemat some distance from the tip'end of the leaf, and located n front of a device for feeding the leaf rear:

Wardly when the stem hasbeen seized by the gripper, said feeding device consisting of two leaf feedmg belts arranged one above the other, the 'lower one ofsaidbelts'being adapt 1 ed to support thepoint of the leaf, a fixed leaf support arranged immediately in, front of v said, lower belt and lying infiush therewith,

thev upper one of said belts being adapted to swing vabout its rear end from a position apart from the lower belt to a position close thereto whereby the said'twobelts-grip the f leaf lying "on the lower belt and move the leaf. 'rearwardly 6. In a machine for stripping theistem from a tobacco leaf the combination of a de- 

